Board gives nod to Saavedra, wave to Abbott

The Houston Independent School District honored Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra at its Thursday meeting for being named Superintendent of the Year for the Houston region. (We should find out in the next few days if he’ll be one of the five school chiefs statewide to be considered for Texas Superintendent of the Year.)

Candidates are judged in 11 areas, including student performance and fiscal management. Saavedra earned the nod for his role in creating an incentive pay plan, implementing full-day preK and pushing for a college-bound culture, officials said.

Saavedra, in turn, thanked his family, employees and school trustees for giving him the chance to lead the state’s largest school district four years ago. “I think things have worked out well on behalf of our students,” he said.

Moments later, school board members gave will wishes to Press Secretary Terry Abbott, who is resigning at the end of the month to build a consulting company.

Abbott joined HISD in 1997. He left for about two years in 2001 to work alongside then Secretary of Education Rod Paige in Washington D.C. Abbott returned in 2003 to HISD, where he now earns more than $160,000 a year, despite never finishing college.

Board members applauded Abbott’s dedication and tenacity.

“I just don’t know all the times HISD messes up and you’re there,” trustee Dianne Johnson said. “I guess since you’re leaving, we’re going to have to stop messing up.”

Or as board member Natasha Kamrani put it: “Terry Abbott is a junk-yard dog. He will stand in front of people who are shooting bullets at you.”

Saavedra added: “You pretty much have been the shield for the district, specifically the superintendent.”